Longtime administrator for the Chicago area’s NorthShore University HealthSystem, has joined the Mind-Eye Institute as its president, effective August 5th , 2019.

Abebe is not new to health practice administration. She has nearly 30 years of experience in nursing and hospital administration. Beginning in 2010, she served as director of perioperative services at Skokie Hospital, which is part of the NorthShore health system and located in Skokie, Illinois.

Among Abebe’s achievements in the directorship role have been the planning and organization of both a surgical pavilion and an orthopaedic and spine-focused hospital at the Skokie Hospital campus, building of strong physician partnerships, establishment of an orthopaedic trauma program, participation in product-value-analysis teams, management of hospital accreditation visits from the Joint Commission and development of a highly competent, specialized surgical team.

She also has worked as a clinical nurse manager, case manager and urology team leader at Glenbrook Hospital, another facility in the NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Download Dr. Zelinsky’s full Curriculum Vitae

An optometrist with clinical interest in the management of ocular diseases such as glaucoma, dry eye, eye irritations and disorders of the aging eye has joined the staff at the advanced Mind-Eye Institute, based in Northbrook, Ill.

Daniel B. Myers, O.D., who once served as an optometrist at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, a multidisciplinary teaching hospital in the Greater Twin Cities Area of Minnesota, says he is excited about his new responsibilities, which involve leading much of the clinical optometric services under the guidance of Mind-Eye Institute research director and founder, Deborah Zelinsky, O.D.

“I am here as much to learn and train as to provide patient care. That’s because the Institute is truly unique. The team here is doing some amazing, innovative work,” says Dr. Myers, referring to the Mind-Eye Institute’s mission of enhancing scientific understanding of how light entering through the retina can impact brain function, nerve pathways and body chemistry
By using prescriptive eyeglasses to manipulate the way light enters the eye, the Institute is helping patients overcome learning and behavioral disorders and recover from debilitating, life-altering symptoms of brain injuries.

While at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, Dr. Myers co-managed eye care for a high volume of patients, performing eye evaluations and examinations and addressing a variety of ocular disorders. Other experience includes service in a private family practice, Kennedy Eye Associates in Roseville, Minn., which specializes in general optometric care, and performance of optometric examinations in a boutique retail setting for SEE Eyewear in Minneapolis.

Dr. Myers also was managing optometrist for LensCrafters in Lincolnwood, Ill., after moving to the Chicago area from Minnesota in September 2017.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, Dr. Myers attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis where he earned his Doctor of Optometry. He later completed several externships, primarily in the St. Louis area in 2011 and 2012, gaining expertise in contact lens fitting, ocular disease management and primary care optometry.

His professional work includes membership in the American Optometric Association. He also has been very much involved in community service, participating for four years in Volunteer Optometric Services for Humanity. Through that organization, he spent time providing ocular care to patients in Colombia.

When not caring for patients, Dr. Myers spends his time with his wife and two young children. He also enjoys traveling abroad and experiencing unique cultures, as well as cheering for the University of Kansas Jayhawks football and basketball teams.

Dr. Daniel Nast, Jr. has a long history of managing patients with all kinds of vision disorders especially those affecting the binocular visual system. A 1942 graduate of Monroe College of Optometry, and a forerunner of today’s Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to The Mind-Eye Institute. He is a charter member of the College of Optometrist in Vision Development (C.O.V.D.). He is an army veteran of World War II and was responsible for the eye care of other servicemen during the war. Upon exiting the army, Dr. Nast began a private practice with a focus on pediatrics and binocular vision where he successfully provided top-notch eye care to his patients for many years. He joined The Mind-Eye Institute in 2014.